Nonrenewable Resources: Metals and Nonmetals Minerals and Ores

Minerals and Ores All metallic elements and many important nonmetallic elements can be obtained from minerals Some of the elements are attached to other elements, but are easily separated Usually, the metal or nonmetal is combined with another substance and needs to be chemically separated If the rock has enough of the element to make the separation profitable, the rock is called an ore Eg. Iron ore, copper ore The valuable mineral is the ore mineral, the rest of the rock is the gangue Iron ore Copper Ore

Mineral Availability It is difficult to make reliable estimates of the availability of a particular resource Reserves are resources that have been found and can be extracted at a profit with current technology

Important Nonmetals Most nonmetallic minerals resources are used in the form in which they come out of the ground Examples are: sand, gravel, building stone, rock salt, talc, and graphite A quarry is a small open-pit mine where sand, gravel, and crushed stone come from Soil fertilizers are also nonmetals that are mined: phosphate rock, potash, and nitrates Salt, gypsum, sulfur, and graphite are other important nonmetals that are mined Sulfur Graphite Gypsum